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Ile Saint Paul

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December 5, 2002

The climb to the rockhopper penguin colony is well worth the exertion, and I watch these amazing birds in fascination for more than an hour. (The green X marks the approximate location of the colony.)
Our first look at the colony from a distance: the white specks are rockhopper penguins.
This mass of tumbled boulders seems an unlikely place to lay eggs and rear young, but one of the rockhopper's particular adaptations is the ability to climb to areas that other, more aggressive penguin species cannot reach.
A rockhopper with a surprisingly dirty breast glares at the photographer as if to say, "What are you looking at?" The immature rockhoppers (front right) are covered with a brownish fuzz.
The drooping yellow crest feathers lend a comical look, while the ruby red eyes provide a startling contrast. The pinkish feet get their color from the pink shrimp-like krill which form a major portion of the rockhopper's diet.
Three views: from the back, in profile, and peeping through the grass.
Two rockhoppers pause between hops.
Droppings streak the rock behind these two curious rockhoppers.
As darkness falls, we pull away from Ile Saint Paul. The dark, needle-shaped rock is known as la Quille (the Keel) and is 86 meters (282 feet) high.

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